The Long Walk Kindle Novels & Stories

I did not need him to accompany me. So I went alone. After completing the usual tests, I photographed the report and sent it to Rachel. I never expected to run straight into Charlie. He was walking quickly, chest rising and falling, slightly out of breath–as if he rushed all the way here. A flicker of joy sparked in my chest. I was just about to show him the report–when a voice sounded from behind him. "Charlie, can you try to be a little considerate toward a lady?" It was Lynn Walters.

The journey home took four days. Four days of walking. Four days of Kael hovering. Four days of Dr. Hayes checking my wound and listening to the babies' heartbeats. Four days of Voss's words echoing in my head. "You think you've won. But you haven't. It will never be over." --- We reached the pack lands at sunset. The house was still standing. The gardens were overgrown. The hallway light was on. Marta was waiting on the porch.

He was probably trying to remember the continuation of the story. "Good. When the Alchemist saw the fifteenth winter, becoming an adult, the preceptors of the Zolhay Order authorized him to access the Forbidden Archive, reserved exclusively for adult men, in the process of becoming Researcher. Here, the Alchemist found a book. It was ruined and the flames had devoured most of the pages. There were few understandable words, but they were enough." "Enough for what?" the child asked, leaning a little towards the minstrel.

Walker-That shit is not gonna walk. Luke- yeah. It can crawl. I got stuck at some point, thinking what he meant by it'll crawl when I saw the typo. I had typed walk instead of work. Walker- you bitch! Luke- you'll do worse. Walker - you need to see this. I texted, taking an unlawful picture of Steyn sleeping and sending it to him. Luke- she's dang pretty. Walker- Thought so too. I texted back, pocketing my phone. "You've caught the Darius disease." I whispered in Steyn's ear, rousing her from sleep.

“Patience. You can’t get anything done if you’re impatient, understand? We have to make this perfect, or we’ll get into trouble.” Joy’s nonchalant voice came through the phone as if they were not talking about killing a human, but an insect.

The cat meowed then — a strange, haunting sound — and the woman turned toward the shadows again. “You should go.” “Already?” Evelynn asked. The woman nodded. “They’ve found your trail.” Aiden’s jaw clenched. “Hunters?” “No,” the woman said darkly. “Worse.” She handed Evelynn a tiny vial of glowing liquid. “When the fire speaks, listen. When it burns, follow. And when it calls your name in the dark—” “Don’t run,” Evelynn finished, not knowing how she knew the words.

--- The forest is not a forest. Trees here are knots of frozen lightning, their branches crackling with residual storms. The air tastes of burnt copper and endings. Eden walks ahead, his crow-feather coat shimmering with every step, the helix scar on his throat now a live wire of violet light. Kael sniffs the ground, his limp pronounced, his growl a constant rumble. He doesn't trust the silence. Neither do I.

Kael (POV) The village doesn’t say goodbye. Not with words. Not with warnings. Just eyes. Lira walks half a pace ahead of me. Her steps drag, but she doesn’t stumble. Not now. Not in front of them. The snow’s crusted with old ash, and the wind doesn’t blow. Still, the air moves like something exhaling through its teeth. Every breath tastes like burned pine and old rites. Behind us, the longhouse door doesn’t creak shut. It just stays open. Watching.

He just stood there, motionless, like a statue. I didn't look back again. I walked forward, boarding my flight, free at last. As for him—he became just another name buried in the past.

I'm happy. "This girl is on fire... This girl is on fire... She's walking on fire... This girl is on fire everybody stares at she goes by... Cause they can see the flame that's in her eyes... Watch her as she's lighting up the night nobody knows that she's a lonely girl and it's a lonely world but she gon' let it burn baby, burn, baby..." The crowd are so wild, what the? OMG! I'm so honored. "This girl is on fire, this girl is on fire, she's walking on fire..."